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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court will resume on Monday hearing of the federal government’s review petition in the dharna case after a special commission, formed to investigate the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) Faizabad sit-in, dispatched its report to the government.
Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the bench will also comprise Justice Irfan Saadat Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Awan.
The commission, formed to investigate the causes and subsequent events leading to omission and commission of acts not in accordance with law in light of the terms of reference given in the notification and the SC’s judgement, has suggested legislation. It also proposed drafting of rules and SOPs to regulate the working of intelligence agencies since the involvement of army or its affiliated agency in civilian matters adversely affected the fair image of the institution.
“Army is a sacred arm of the state, therefore to avoid criticism, the institution may not be involved in public matters. This task may be assigned to [the Intelligence Bureau] and civil administration,” it said.
The three-member commission, constituted under the Pakistan Commission of Inquiry Act 2017, also suggested against using the paramilitary Rangers and FC in urban areas and asked for a zero-tolerance policy for violent extremism, criticised past agreements with militant groups as a temporary fix that doesn’t work.
The commission, led by retired IG Syed Akhtar Ali Shah and also comprising former Islamabad police chief Tahir Alam Khan and additional interior secretary Khushal Khan, was constituted to ensure compliance with the Feb 6, 2019 judgement against the 20-day sit-in by the TLP in the federal capital in 2017.
It noted that since no one from the then-PM, former ministers for law, interior and the former Punjab chief minister accused intelligence agencies of facilitating the protesters, nor was any evidence furnished to this effect, the commission could not connect any organisation or state official with the TLP dharna.
Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2024
